Lambent Stalk
Lambent Stalks were massive plant-like structures appearing similar to roots and trees that seem to spawn from deep in the ground, presumably from the source of their mutation, Imulsion. Appearing four months after the sinking of Jacinto, they can burst out of the ground, or from under the oceans of Sera. The Stalks can release from their branches and bases, Lambent footsoldiers like the Polyps, Drudges, Lambent Drones, Gunkers and even Lambent Berserkers from the pods that the stalk sends out. Adam Fenix believes they are the fruiting body of Imulsion. History Lambent Pandemic Sinking of the Nezark While en route to Vectes, after Gorasnaya joined the COG, the frigate Nezark came under attack by a Lambent Stalk. It pushed two holes through the port side hull of the vessel, effectively sinking it along with its crew but not before they were able to send a message that they had run ashore. Skirmish on the CNV Clement As the CNV Clement searched for the remains of the Nezark, they detected something coming out of the seabed and surfaced to avoid damage. Damon Baird went on deck to see what was coming and was shocked to see a Stalk coming out of the water and began to spew Polyps out. As the Polyps attacked the Clement, another Stalk popped up and managed to scrape the Clement's bow and caused the sub to roll, although it righted itself. The second one soon began to spew out more Polyps that attacked the Clement. After finishing off the Polyps, KR Eight-Zero spotted more Stalks popping out of the ocean and heading towards Emerald Spar Platform. Battle of the Emerald Spar Platform At the platform, a Stalk popped into the bottom decks of the rig, coming up in the well bay under the drill and started spewing Polyps. After some amount of time, Baird called the Ravens to take out the Stalk. KR-239 breaks off trying to battle the Polyps in the upper deck and heads for the Stalk, eventually managing to take it out. As the humans managed to clear the rig of Polyps, however, another Stalk popped up on the other side of the well bay and released more Polyps into the rig. After realizing they can't stop them, Commander orders everyone to evacuate. After the rig sank, it is presumed that the Stalks left or died. Battle of Grid Echo-Five Battle of Edlar Farm Emergence on the Southwest Coast of Vectes While Cpl. Damon Baird and Yanik Laas were patrolling around the southwest coast of Vectes looking for Lambent samples for Chairman Richard Prescott, they suddenly began to feel tremors in the ground and several Stalks emerged in front of them and released several Polyps that charged at the two Gears. They were able to destroy the Polyps almost unharmed and the Stalks presumably died after spewing them. Meadow Skirmish Stalk Emergence at the Reservoir Third Battle of New Jacinto Battle of Gerrenhalt After two Gears found several Polyps around Gerrenhalt, they wondered if there were more Lambent. The next day their fears were proven true when several Stalks emerged in the center of their settlement. The Gears around it formed a perimeter and called for reinforcements. They also sent a group of Gears with the civilians to a warehouse to protect them. After reinforcements arrived, Pvt. Augustus Cole, Sgt. Marcus Fenix and Cpl. Dominic Santiago went to find the group of civilians, only to find the Gears dead and the remaining civilians trapped by several Polyps inside the warehouse, and another Stalk emerged in front of them. They killed all the Lambent and got the civilians to safety, while Lt. Anya Stroud and the remaining Gears eliminated the remaining Stalks and Polyps. Attack on the Sovereign After entering Lambent waters, the CNV Sovereign found several dead Stalks that were no threat. However, as they progressed, several Stalks came out of the ocean and started to spew Lambent lifeforms and tried to take the King Ravens out of the air. They did not harm the ship, though. Mission to Hanover Augustus Cole and his team encountered several dead Stalks around the coast of Hanover with Damon Baird being worried if there were living Stalks and Polyps inside the city. His fear came true when, at an abandoned park, a Stalk popped up from the ground and almost crushed them before it began to spawn Drudges and other Lambent creatures. More Stalks soon joined the battle before the Gears managed to shoot out their pods. More Stalks continued to appear outside the grocery store they tried to get in. They also managed to get inside the store but their pods were also destroyed. Later, several Stalks popped up in front of a Stranded Oupost before being destroyed by the Gears aiding the Stranded. More Stalks appeared around the dockyards near the Cougars Stadium and also at the very front gates of the Stadium but were dealt with by Cole's team. Later, several Stalks began to appear inside the Stadium. One was destroyed with a bomb Cole planted in its trunk, but even after stopping it more Stalks arrived and began to tear the Stadium apart. The Gears barely escaped by running through some cable lines. A few more Stalks appeared at the Centennial Bridge but were also destroyed. Battle of Anvil Gate After a large battle with the Locust at Anvil Gate, Marcus Fenix led a group to rescue Anya Stroud and Samantha Byrne who were pinned down by Locust forces. Before they could reach the fort's walls, a Stalk erupted from the ground, killing the remaining Locust and unleashing Lambent Drones and Drudges over the battlefield. More Stalks soon followed, which forced Marcus to order Baird to fire the Hammer of Dawn. However, a Stalk with a heavy trunk emerged and unleashed a Lambent Berserker to fight the humans. Shortly after that, Baird unleashed the Hammer, and the remaining Stalks and Lambent forces (except for the Berserker) were killed by the blasts. Mission to Mercy Several Stalks emerged inside the gas-station of Mercy at the fire positions of Delta-Squad. The Gears managed to shoot out the pods of the first ones but they were quickly overrun by the Lambent. As an explosion opened a path, all Gears but Dom managed to get to the other side. As more Stalks emerged, Dominic used a truck to destroy the gas station and all enemy forces inside it, including all Stalks. Mission to Char Several Stalks emerged inside the city of Char. The first one appeared in front of Aaron Griffin's Stranded camp but the combined forces of the Gears and Stranded destroyed it. As Delta found an exit inside Griffin Tower, more Stalks began to rise and dropped more Lambent. They destroyed them too. More Stalks popped up in front of the Gears on their way to Griffin's refinery but its pods were destroyed by them. Second Battle of Azura As the Maelstrom device was shut down, the Lambent were able to get into Azura. After taking down the Siegebeasts guarding the island, Delta saw several Stalks erupting in the middle of the ocean and heading towards them. The Gears managed to avoid getting killed by them and continue their way. However, several Stalks emerged in front of the gates of Pinnacle Tower and they had to hold them off until JACK opened the doors. Once inside, they barricaded the doors to hold the Stalks for a time but they were able to bring the barricade down and popped up inside the tower. Delta managed to hold them off until JACK brought the elevators down but the Stalks continued to follow them upstairs. After sending the counterweight over the Tempest, Delta had to run from several Stalks crashing through the floor. Another Stalk popped up in front of Adam Fenix' laboratory but was destroyed by the Gears. As the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon is activated, several Stalks surrounded the Humans but were killed by the Weapon, as were all Lambent and Locust lifeforms across Sera. Behind the scenes Lambent Stalks have first been seen in the Ashes to Ashes trailer - a few Lambent Stalks can be seen in the far background. Lambent Stalks are not necessarily a new enemy for Gears of War 3, as they have no way to directly attack the player. Rather, they are more of a way of introducing the Lambent into battle, similar to the Emergence Holes in previous games. Tactics Lambent Stalks will appear first. They are easily hinted by the screen vibrating and will pop up in a live Lambent-like color. They will also summon several ejection pods, which shoot out pods which will usually contain Polyps, Drudges or Lambent Drones. They will never spit out Lambent Berserkers or Gunkers (apart from a few cases). Once all the pods are down, the stalk will freeze up and die, having a grey like color. Category:Lambent Locust Category:Gears of War 3